Frau Grand Duchess
Clever retro-themed collage deck celebrating mid-century culture and aesthetics.
by J. M. Kruch · 2013
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The record
There's not a lot of decks around with a retro theme, but the Frau Grand Duchess is helping to remedy that dreadful state of affairs. The deck is based on fifties, sixties and seventies culture and experience. It is a witty, clever, and thoughtfully put together collage deck. Sometimes eccentric, occasionally surreal, it is a landscape of mid-century modern memories. Except that, when we look at it, we can't help wondering if our memories are a wee bit skewed. Odd juxtapositions often found in collage decks are put to artistic, bizarre, and sometimes even wacky use. But the artist always gives us something to think about. The Queen of Swords, with her corset and rifle, makes us suppose that the widow of the tarot might have ended her own marriage perhaps? On the 8 of Swords, Malcolm X looks out from behind bars, into a room so cluttered with furniture, it seems he may be in a dungeon no matter what side of the bars he is on. In structure, the deck is traditional, based on RWS meanings, with the standard suits of Wands, Swords, Cups and Coins. We also have the traditional courts of Kings, Queens, Knights and Pages. The cards measure 5" by 3". The Majors do not have numbers on the ca
The cards
